Rigging charges cause re-election for PS-114

KARACHI- Setting aside the result for the May 11 general elections for Karachi’s PS-114 constituency today, an election tribunal has ordered a re-election for the constituency located in Karachi’s Mehmoodabad area. The election was a triumph for Irfanullah Marwat of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) with Abdur Rauf Siddiqui of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) as runner-up. The son-in-law of the former President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Marwat in the May 11 polls had won the election against Siddiqui with a margin of around 7000 votes. Siddiqi had challenged this victory by accusing Marwat of rigging. The Election Commission of Pakistan will announce the date for a re-election. The PML-N candidate can challenge the tribunal’s decision in a higher court. According to NADRA, 17,504 votes in the PS-114 were bogus as they were either casted by someone else or had invalid national identity card numbers.